2010 NFL Draft review: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers made a big statement with this draft, and that statement is Alex Smith is our QB and we will build a team around him. With two picks in the first round, the Niners decided to take two offensive lineman and work towards protecting their franchise QB a whole lot better. They would like to see Anthony Davis step in and start from day one. They plan to use Davis at RT. They took Iupati because they like his aggressiveness, and once he learns to harness that aggression he should be a fine o lineman in the NFL.

In the second round, they took Taylor Mays and he seems to be a Mike Singletary kind of player. He will roam around the Niners secondary and remind their fans of one Ronnie Lott. He shined at the senior bowl and learned that NFL teams will want him to play the ball before making a big hit on someone. In the Third Round, they landed Navorro Bowman who looks to backup Patrick Willis in the middle, and a high tempo special teams player. They added Anthony Dixon to possibly be their short yardage back, a blocking TE in Nate Byham, a backup Kick Returner in Kyle Williams, and a DB depth pick of Phillip Adams.

Now let us take a look at the initial grades for this draft class:

•Round One: A, Davis was the player they wanted and they traded up to get him
•Round One: A, Iupati is a very good lineman and may be able to play multiple positions
•Round Two: A-, Mays may lack in coverage skills but they may have a plan for that
•Talent: A, They scored three highly though of prospects
•Need: A, If Smith is to be their QB, they are adding pieces all around him

Related Links:
•San Francisco 49ers news and notes
•2010 NFL draft initial team grades
•MTR Football.com
•The Business of the NFL